Method of forging car-wheels.



Hm, 866.025. v PATENTEDSEPT.17 ,1907.

J. M. HANSEN.

METHOD OF PORGING GAR WHEELS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 19. 1906.

v FIG. 2 I

.333) INVENTOR No. 866,025. PATENTED SEPT. 17,1907.

', J. M. HANSEN.

METHOD OF FORGING GAR WHEELS.

APPLIGATIONIILED MAY 19. 1906.

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I. L 5 v Z2 1 46 4 -43 45 2 FIG'S HI I FIG-6H1! I FIG. 13

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UNITED A S PATE T OEEI JOHN M. HANSEN, or rrrrsnuse, PENNSYLVANIA,ASSIGNOR 'ro FORGED STEEL WHEEL COMPANY, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ACORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF FORGING OAR-WHEELS. L

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 17', 1907.

Application filed Ma 19,1906. Serial No. 317,738-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN M. Human, a resident of Pittsburg, in thecounty of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new anduseful Improvement in Methods of Forging Car-Wheels; and I. do

forth the general method of manufacturing said carheat and is forgedinto a bowl-shaped blank, and the hub portion is pierced to force themetal thereof down wardly or in the opposite direction to the bowl, sospreading the metal and developing a rudimentary hub and thisrudimentary hub is then upset to produce the thickened ccntrzl or hubportion of the finished wheel, developing it on both sides of .the web.For this purpose I prefer to employ a square or other poly gonal blankand after the first forging stroke which turns the blank into bowl-form,and so turns the outer edge thereof upwardly, and while the blank is soconfined within the dies "1 compress the edge portion thereof, socausing the metal of the angular projecting of the annular upper portionof the blank to develop the rim or tread and flange thereof, therebysaving the labor of bringing the blank to circular form before suchforging operation, and effecting a large saving in metal.

The accompanying drawings illustrate the preferred way of practicing myinvention, showing in Figure '1 diagrammatically a plan for producingthe square slabs ready for the forging operation; Fig. 2 shows thefurnace forhcating said slabs; Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the diessuitable for the practice of the invention illustrating the position ofthe parts bcfgre the pressing operation; Fig. 4 is a detail planviewshowing the square slab in position upon the lower or anvil die; Fig. 6is a vertical section partly in full lines illustrating the position ofthe parts and condition of the blank after the descent of the mainorplunger die; Fig. 6 is a section illustrating the position of theparts after the descent of the upper annular die to forge the upper edgeof the blank and the upward movement of the lower annular die to forgethe hub portion thereof; Fig. 7 is a similar view showing the finalposition of the dies; Fig. 8 is a sectional perspective View of theblank as completed in the dies of Fig. 7, showing also in dotted linesthe effect of the die-forging of theupp'er edge thereof to spread theangular portions of the metal thereof; Figs. 9 and 10 illustrate thesubsequent forging of the blank produced in said dies to produce thetread of the finished wheel; Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate the dies forcompleting the wheel; and'Fig. 13 shows the operation on a circularblank.

My method may be carried out by various forms of apparatus, butpreferably all the operations are performed by die pressing. Thepreliminary wrought metal blank may be formed in any suitable way, but

preferably by rolling, as shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 in which-theslab 1 is produced by the rolls 2 and is then cutby shears 3 into squareslabs or blooms 4. I prefer to start with such'square blanks as they canbe conveniently and inexpensively cut from a longer slab' without theproduction of waste. This blank will then be raised to proper forgingheat in any suitable form of furnace, such as shown at 5, and issubjected to three forging operations in presses to produce the finishedwheel, the second and third operati ns being practically the same as setforth in said application Serial No. 317,733. The first set of diesshown in Figs. 3, 4, 5, (Sand 7, not only reduce the blank to circularform but give the same a'preliminary shape and prepare it for furtheroperations. These dies comprise a suitable bottom or female die 9 havingtherein a circular cavity 10 of considerable depth and ,1

whose side walls at their upper portions, as at 11, aresub stantiallyvertical. This die-is provided with a large central Opening 13 throughwhich works a preliminary hub compressing follower die 13 mounted on asuitable ram 14 actuated by a hydraulic cylinder or other forcingmechanism. This hub pressing die is provided with a central opening orcavity 15.

Cooperating with the die 9 is a top or male die 16 having a circularworking portion 1-7 of less diameter than the cavity in the bed die,thus leaving a rim space 18 between the same when depressed and theside, 10(

walls of the cavity of the bed die. This top die is pro- When a squareor irregularly shaped blank 22 is em ployed, as indicatedin dotted linesin Fig. 4, the top iug the hub, above set forth may be practiced sepadie is cylindrical and is surrounded by an annular rim t ly ith anyitable Steps for f rming the remain- -forming die 23 which is actuatedby separate forcing mechanism and is arranged to pass down into the rimcavity 18 with a close fit. The bed die may be provided with suitablestepped portions 25 for centering the blank thereon.

- The operation of forging the blank by the method here involved is asfollows: The heated blank is placed on the bottom die, as shown in Fig.3. The top die 17 isthen depressed, its circular working portion 20pressing the blank down into the cavity 10 of the bottom die and turningthe edge portions of the blank upwardly into the rim space 18, soforming the bowlshaped blank, as shown in Fig. 5. At the same-time themandrel 21 pierces the blank centrally and forces the metal around theopening thus formed downwardly,

' spreading it and forming a long rudimentary hub portion, as also shownin Fig. 5. Under the operation of these dies the web portion43 of theblank may be either pressed to substantially finished thickness, orpartially redu'Eed, the latter being illustrated, the reduction beingcompleted in the dies of Figs. Band 10. The metal displaced is forcedinwardly into the hub cavity, aiding in developing the hub. The mandrel21 in its downward stroke aids in drawing this surplus metal into thehub cavity. Either the hub compressing die 13 or the rim forming die 23may then be advanced, or they may be operated simultaneously. ForeXample-the annular hub compressing die l3 is then elevated, as shown inFig. 7, crowding the rudimentary hub .portion upwardly, upsetting thesame and forcing it into the hub cavity 19 of the top die thus centeringthe hub with reference to the web portion of the blank. If a circularblank is employed the foregoing completes the operation of the dies, butif a square or irregularly shaped blank 22 is used, as indicated indotted lines in Fig. 4, the annular rim forming die 23 is thendepressed, as shown in Fig. 7, said follower pressing upon the irregularedge of the upturned periphery portion of the blank and as said edgeportion is held against side fiow the metal of the higherportions,-namely, the angles or corners 22* of the blank, is forced toflow peripherally and fill up the depressions 22", thus producing apractically straight upper edge on the blank and obtaining the sameeffect as though a circular blank had originally been used, asillustrated in Fig. 8.

1 The vertical portions 11 of the walls of the cavity in the bed die aresufficiently high to project slightly above the highest portion ofthlargest blank to be worked in said dies. The result of the operationof these dies is the production, either from a circular or a polygonalslab, of a bowl-shaped wheel blank having a thin web portion 43, apierced axle eye 44, and a rudimentary hub 45 extending in theopposite'direction to the tread portion 46 and centered with referenceto the web portion, the upturned tread portion 46 having a level topedge and having its metal evenly distributed throughout proper for theformation of the tread by a subsequent upsetting operation. Thisdie-forging involves a minimum operating and labor cost, and produccsthe wheel blank without the loss of scrap or any waste whatsoever,either at the peripheral portion of the blank orin the formation oi theaxle eye. It is evident that the methods of forming the tread, or offormder of the blank, such for example as that set forth in saidapplication Serial No. 317,733. The blank is then preferably reheatedand taken to the second set of dies, shown in Figs. 9 and 10. This setof (lies comprises a bottom die 26 and a top die 27 actuated by anysuitable forcing mechanism. The bottom die is provided centrally' withan opening 28 through which projects a mandrel 29 actuated byindependent forcing mechanism, and which is adapted to be projectedthrough the axle eye in the blank and serves both to preserve the eyeand also as an anvil against which thelmb portion of the blank iscompressed and forged. Said botv tom die is also provided with the hubcavity 31 and a curved web forming portion 32 and the flange cavity 33..The top die is provided with a central opening 34 for receiving theupper end of the mandrel 29. Said die also has a hub cavity 35 and anannular web forming portion 36 and is provided with a comparatively deepannular rim cavity 37 which, as shown, is rounded and somewhat acute atits upper end. The heated blank is placed between these dies andcompressed thereby, the mandrel. 29 having first been projected throughthe axle eye. The result is that all portions of the blank arethoroughly compressed. Especially is the hub portion upset and pressedtightly against the mandrel thus forging the metal considerably andincreasing the strength thereof. In the dies of Figs. 3 to 7 the webportion has been only partially reduced, and in this second forging stepit is further reduced to finished thickness, and the surplus metalforced into the hub cavity. The upturned edge portion of the blank isupset inthe cavity 37 and a portion is crowded down into the flangecavity 33, as described in said application Serial No. 317,733. Thisportion of the blankespecially receives a large amount of work and theaction is purely one of compressing so that the resultant tread portionof the blank is made very dense, its strength greatly increased, and allflaws, if any, eliminated. The blank is then taken to the finishing setof dies, shown in Figs. 11 and 12, andat a low heat is finished asdescribed in said application Serial No. 317,733, the hub and treadbeing brought to proper relative position, and the web given the desiredreverse curve, and the hub further compacted and brought to finishedshape.

The Wheel resulting from the process described is very dense and strongand especially at the rim and hub portions where the greatest strengthis required. Said wheel can be very economically manufactured, botli asto cost of material and labor and operating expenses. The blank itselfis a simple square one which can be produced without scrap, and in thesubsequent operations substantially no scrap is produced. In theproduction of a Wheel blank from a square or likepolygonal blank, as themetal of the projections of such blank is compressed and caused toflowlaterally to fill the depressions thereof, a square blank-narrower inits narrowest part at right angles to the side faces can be employedthan if a circular blank were employed and at the same time the rimforming portion of the blank is worked and compacted so aiding inobtaining a dense, hard rim or tread on the finished wheel. There areonly three die forging operations necessary and these can be carried outvery expeditiously and at a mini- -ig um operating and lahor cost.Furthermore only two beatings of the blank from beginning to end areneces- What I claim is:

1. The improvement in the art of forming forged steel car and likewheels, consisting in piercing a blank to forma rudimentary hubextending on one side of the blank and while confining the blank withinthe forging dies producing said result, upsetting said rudimentary hubwhile supported one central mandrel to develop the hub on both sides ofthe blank.

2. The improvement in the art of forming forged steel car wheels from apolygonal blank, consisting in so die-' forging "the polygonal blank asto turn its edge upwardly, and then compressing said edge portion towardthe plane of the blank while confining the same agalnst side flow toedge.

car wheels from' apolygonal blank, consisting in producing:

compressing the edge portion toward the plane of "the blank whileconfining the same against side fiow'to elimihate the angles thereot andforce the metal into 'the depressed portions and produe a substantiallyeven top edge.

, 4. The improvement in the art'ot forrning forged wheel 7 blanks from apolygonal blank, consisting in so die-forging a polygonal blank as toturn its edge upwardly, and while so confining the blank compressingltsedge portion toward the plane of the blank to eliminate the anglesand form an even top edge.

In testimony whereof, I hereunto setrny hand.

p JOHN M. HAnsnii.

- Witnesses:

' .F. W. Win'rnn,

ROBERT C. Terran.

'llie improvement-in the art of forrningu forge ql'ls tael' 25 v thesaid ,dorrn M. Hansen have v v

